Dear Shepard Families:
Welcome back to school! I always find the stretch of the school year after spring break to be a hopeful time. The sun shines for longer, the weather starts to get nicer, and students start to look ahead to summer and their next grade level. We're looking forward, too, as we prepare for the end of the school year. Next week—and Tuesday of the following week—we will be doing IAR testing with our students. While it is rare to find a student really amped up about completing state testing, we look forward to learning more about the results of our instruction and student learning. Thank you for your continued partnership to support your children's learning and overall development through middle school.
In this edition, you will find:
New Information:
- IAR Testing
- Erin's Law Presentations
- Book Fair Update from the Learning Commons
- Safe Screens Parent Workshop Series from the Deerfield Police Department
- April Digital Safety Tip
Sincerely,
Rob Wegley, Principal
Cathy Van Treese, Associate Principal
Ginger Logemann, Director for Student Services
We will be taking the IAR tests (ELA and Math) next week (4/7 - 4/11) and on Tuesday, 4/15. We encourage students to get lots of rest, eat a healthy breakfast, and try their best. The results help us understand how students are growing academically, and how they compare to their grade-level peers across the state. We also utilize the data as we examine our instructional practices and planning so we can best meet the needs of our students. Please encourage your child to do their best and to not be afraid to fail. As they say, confidence is key, and children who approach the assessment with confidence often perform better. We are excited to celebrate their effort and what they know alongside them.
We ask for your assistance in making sure your child's Chromebook is fully charged each day and that they have/bring working, wired headphones. Testing will start each day at 8:05am after announcements. Students who arrive to school after 8:05am will be held in the office during the assessment time to preserve the testing environment for the students who are testing and will have the opportunity to complete missed tests during make-up testing.
Erin’s Law (House Bill 6193) was signed by Governor Pat Quinn on January 24, 2013. This law requires schools to implement an age-appropriate sexual assault and abuse awareness and prevention curriculum for grades Pre-K through 12. District 109 partners with Childhood Victories, Inc., an organization founded by Victor Pacini who is a motivational speaker and a survivor of sexual abuse. Speakers from Childhood Victories, Inc. provide programming for our students that teaches them basic skills to keep them safe from dangerous or abusive situations. The program, Be Seen and Heard 2.0, is developmentally appropriate, interactive, aligned with learning standards, and will cover the following topics:
Distinguishing safe from unsafe touches
Safety rules at home and school
Saying “NO”
Secrets
It’s not the child’s fault if someone touches them
Telling a trusted adult
The staff from Childhood Victories, Inc. will be presenting to our middle school students on Friday, April 25th.
Requests to Opt-Out: If you prefer that your child opt-out of this prevention education session, please email me by Thursday, April 17.
As we strive to keep you informed about important events and updates at Shepard Middle School, we are excited to use the Remind app again as a valuable tool to strengthen our school-family partnership. Through this app, you will receive announcements from our Student Council (also known as StuCo), led by Mrs. Greenberg. These announcements will not only keep you informed about spirit days, fundraisers, and other important events throughout the school year but will also actively involve your child in the exciting activities shaping our school community.
To sign up, please follow the directions below. Check out this video if you would like step-by-step instructions.If you require any assistance setting up the app, please do not hesitate to reach out to Mrs. Greenberg.
Our amazing PTSO shared information on this in their welcome back letter, too, but we wanted to add a reminder that you can purchase school lunches through Lunch Solutions in advance! Ordering opened Tuesday, August 6th. Ordering for the following week closes at 10:00 am on THURSDAY each week. For information and ordering, please visit http://ptgms.com/lunchsolutions/shepard.
Medication
Please do not send any medication, over-the-counter pain pills (Tylenol/Advil/aspirin), or cough drops with your students. State law prohibits students from taking medication at school outside of the nurse's office with a doctor's note on file. We will confiscate any medications as listed above found outside of the nurse's office.
Attendance
If your student will not be in school, please report the absence to the health office by phone—(847) 948-0620 x5103 or email (shepardattendance@dps109.org) before 8:00 am. If you do not contact our school nurse by this time, she will contact you at home or at work to ascertain your child’s whereabouts. Children must be fever free for 24 hours before returning to school. Students will only be dismissed to a parent/legal guardian or to emergency contacts designated in Family Access.
Student Tardiness to School
Students who arrive late are greatly disadvantaged because they miss starting the day with their peers and miss out on the instruction given at the beginning of class. This means that they are often unsettled and confused about tasks, resulting in reduced achievement, regardless of academic ability. It is also very important that students establish good routines and habits in preparation for the rest of their lives. Punctuality is a life skill that is important to develop.
Tardiness to school will be unexcused even if a family member brings the student(s) to school. Oversleeping, missing the bus, car/traffic problems, etc. are all unexcused. Tardies are excusable under the following circumstances: personal illness of student, serious illness or death in the family, a doctor/dentist/professional appointment (a note or phone call from a parent or a professional), family emergencies, and religious holidays.
School begins promptly at 8:00 am. Students are expected to be in class ready to learn by 8:00 am.
Student Tardies to Class
Students are expected to be in class, in their seats, ready to learn at the start of class. Students who are not are subject to school discipline.